At the first Assembly meeting within the Patriots for Europe held in Budapest, Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maka Botchorishvili, participated in a panel discussion on sovereignty and migration.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the Minister emphasized the importance of protecting national interests.

“I represent a country that is not yet a member of the European Union but aspires to join it. For centuries, Georgia has sought integration into the European family, and in recent decades, into the European Union. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, we viewed European structures—particularly the European Union—as the strongest guarantee of our sovereignty. This is why we applied for EU membership and signed the Association Agreement in 2014. Georgia shares European values, which are deeply rooted in our society,” Botchorishvili stated.

She also addressed the challenges accompanying the EU accession process.

“Unfortunately, after submitting our EU membership application, we have seen this important issue—supported by approximately 80 percent of the population—become a tool for political pressure, internal political maneuvering, and external interference. Increasingly, we observe that these challenges exist not only outside the EU but within its member states as well,” she said.

Speaking on security, the Minister underlined the importance of sovereign decision-making for maintaining peace and stability.

“When it comes to security, sovereign decision-making is essential to ensuring peace, stability, and economic growth. Georgia’s economy is growing at around 9.5 percent annually, which is an impressive figure in Europe. Such results can only be achieved by safeguarding sovereignty and maintaining peace in a complex geopolitical environment,” Botchorishvili noted.

She concluded by stressing that sovereignty must remain a central priority.

“We must approach the protection of sovereignty with utmost seriousness, as it is the only solid foundation upon which the future of Europe should be built,” she said.